HOUSTON — Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner fired back at a prominent pastor after comments he made during one of his sermons this past weekend.
Houston's Second Baptist Church pastor Dr. Ed Young called out those in office and said the bond issue in Harris County makes the area vulnerable to crime.
“Houston in all probability right now is the most dangerous city in America to live in," Dr. Young said in his sermon. “You see any difference when you put left-wing progressives in office?”
Some said Dr. Young crossed the line by mixing church and politics, but Turner said the issue starts with the information being false.
“Factually, what he said was wrong," Turner said. “Why are you saying something that’s not true? Are you trying to gain a political advantage? And so, if you’re going to be a politician, then people are going to respond to you like a politician.”
In addition to the comments made about Houston being the most dangerous city in the U.S., Dr. Young continued his sermon by saying those in office need to be replaced.
“If Houston and Harris County is to survive, we had better throw those bums out of office. They are not doing the job that we have called them to," Dr. Young said.
“I was just disappointed when a faith-based leader from the pulpit talks about we’re not doing our jobs and calling people bums. I was just disappointed," Turner said in response to the sermon.
Dr. Young read off a list of numbers, which he says details rising crime in Houston and Harris County.
“And right now, ladies and gentlemen, the murder rate in Houston Texas is greater than the city of Chicago and certainly in New York, right here where we live," Dr. Young said in the sermon.
But Turner said this information is simply not true.
“I look at the numbers every single day. When you look at the murders per capita, Houston is not even in the top 10," Turner said.
Turner and others believe Dr. Young crossed the line politically, something a church is not supposed to do under IRS tax laws.
“If you want to be a politician and be carrying some people’s political agenda, then you enter the political arena," Turner said.
Turner said he has reached out to Dr. Young, but was unsuccessful.
He has this message for the pastor:
“When he says. 'throw the bums out,' I am grateful that I know Jesus for myself, and that through His grace, I am still in the arena," Turner said.
KHOU 11 News has reached out to Second Baptist and Dr. Young’s team for a response. They are declining to comment.